A variety of “folding devices for automatically folding a fabric product such as a shirt” have been proposed so far.
Depending on folding methods, the folding devices are roughly classified into slide type folding devices (see Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication Nos. JP-A-H08-215500, JP-A-H08-215499, JP-A-H08-215498, JP-A-H08-215497, JP-A-2008-18100, JP-A-2000-202200 and JP-A-H05-294552), a flip-up-to-the-bottom type folding device (see Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication Nos. JP-A-H06-304399 and JP-A-H10-218485), a flip-up-to-the-top type folding device (see Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication Nos. JP-A-H07-61703, JP-A-2008-264316, JP-A-2003-532451, JP-A-2003-181200 and JP-A-2002-119800) and a rotary type folding device (see PCT International Application Publication No. WO2008/032826).
The folding devices as described above are mutually provided with a platen for putting a fabric product thereon. Every time the fabric product size is changed, the platen width is required to be suitably adjusted to the changed fabric product size. For example, the following methods are required for implementing the above. Every time the fabric product size is changed, a platen is replaced with another one with a width suitable for the fabric product size. Alternatively, the platen width is adjusted by means of a width adjusting mechanism as described in a brochure of International Patent Application Publication No. WO2008/032826 and etc. The latter method is herein preferable in consideration of a workload imposed on a worker.
Now, there exist a variety of fabric products for a variety of age groups (e.g., clothing of a grandfather, a grandmother, a father, a mother, a child and etc.) at home. Therefore, frequent width adjustment is required for the platen when the folding device as described above is installed in a home. A workload imposed on a worker is accordingly increased.